James Gordon, MD

One of the first people in this field to develop the practical foundation of mind-body medicine, James S. Gordon, MD, is the Founder and Director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Washington, DC.  In the early 1970s, it became apparent to Dr. Gordon that if medicine was ever to address the worldwide epidemic of chronic illness and to heal the pain and alienation of patients and health professionals, then it needed to change at a fundamental level.  In response to this realization, he gathered leaders in integrative and holistic medicine under the auspices of the National Institute of Mental Health and developed the first major text in the field, Health for Whole Person. His book, Manifesto for a New Medicine, published in 1996, sparked a personal revolution for many health care providers.  Dr. Gordon's influence is felt worldwide. Founded on the principle of teaching and empowering people to help themselves, Dr. Gordon's Healing the Wounds of War program has helped more than a thousand health and mental health professionals, teachers and community leaders throughout the Americas, Europe and the Middle East to deal successfully with the stress and trauma of war in themselves and in the populations they serve.